New Delhi

Delhi Police are on the look out for four persons who allegedly raised anti-India slogans at the Press Club event here in connection with which former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani was arrested on sedition charges.

“The four youths, of which some are believed to be students of a central university, were identified by Gilani during interrogation. The youths raised anti-India slogans at the event,” a police official said, adding that several teams are trying to locate them.

The police are keeping track on their social network profiles and monitoring CCTV grabs of the February 10 event organised at the Press Club of India here, the official said.

The hall for the event was booked through Gilani’s credit card, by a youth who has been identified as the student of a central university here. They are all likely to be charged under sedition, he added.

At the Press Club event on February 10, in which Gilani was present, a group had allegedly raised slogans hailing Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Maqbook Bhat.

The next day, the police registered a case of sedition, criminal conspiracy and unlawful assembly against Gilani and other unnamed persons taking suo motu cognizance of video clips they had obtained from a news channel.

Gilani was detained for questioning on Monday evening and later arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday. He was produced before a court today which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

Earlier, police had claimed that Gilani was booked as he was presumed to be the “main organiser” of the event.

Request for booking a hall at the Press Club was done through his e-mail and the nature of the event was proposed to be a public meeting, which did not turn out to be so, senior officials had said.

DU professor Ali Javed, under whose membership the hall was booked, was questioned by Delhi Police for two consecutive days. The police also questioned DU professors Nirmalangshu Mukherji and Tripta Wahi. All three of them were present with Gilani on the dais set up for the event, police said.

In 2001, Gilani was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the Parliament attack case but acquitted for “need of evidence” by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005, which at the same time had observed that the needle of suspicion pointed towards him.

Press Club event: Former DU lecturer Gilani sent to 14-day JC

New Delhi

Taking no chances after two days of violence in the Patiala House Courts complex, Delhi Police today presented former Delhi University lecturer SAR Gilani, arrested on sedition charges, before a magistrate in a police station for remand proceedings.

The remand proceedings passed of peacefully far from the Patiala House Courts.

Gilani, who was arrested in connection with an event at the Press Club of India here where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised last week, was remanded to judicial custody till March 3 by the magistrate.

He also moved a bail application which will come up for hearing before Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh tomorrow.

Earlier in the day, not wanting to take any risk, the police approached the magistrate and requested that the remand proceedings be held in a police station away from Patiala House Courts complex.

The violence had triggered nationwide outrage and the Delhi Police had come under criticism for its alleged inaction.

A magistrate then went to Chanakyapuri Police Station, about 7 kms away from Patiala House Court, for the hearing when police said Gilani was not required for any further custodial interrogation so he be remanded to judicial custody.

Advocate Satish Tamta, who represented Gilani, moved a bail application on behalf of his client and the magistrate fixed it for hearing tomorrow.

On February 16, the court had sent Gilani to two-day police custody after the agency had said they required his custodial interrogation to identify those involved in raising anti-India slogans.

Police had earlier told the court that an event was held on February 10 in which banners were placed showing Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat as martyrs and anti-national slogans along with slogans demanding independence for Kashmir were raised.

It had also said the hall in the club was booked by Gilani through one Ali Javed by using his credit card and another person Mudassar was also involved.

Gilani’s counsel, however, had said he was only the convenor and the event was open for all.

Gilani’s arrest has come amid the raging row over the arrest of JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar over sedition charges in connection with an event at the varsity campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on February 9.

At the Press Club event, a group had allegedly shouted slogans hailing Guru, following which the police had lodged a case under sections 124A (sedition), 120B(criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC against Gilani and other unnamed persons.

The police had claimed to have registered the FIR taking suo motu cognisance of media clips of the incident.

Following registration of the FIR, the police questioned for two consecutive days DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member who had booked the hall for the event.

Gilani was arrested in connection with the 2001 Parliament attack case but was acquitted for “need of evidence” by the Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005.